MANILA, Philippines?When we first heard that Robin Padilla and Ai Ai delas Alas were costarring in the romantic comedy, ?Ikaw Pa Rin,? we wondered how the first-time teamup would fare. Robin is a porma performer who toughs it up in most of the part he plays, while AiAi is a comedienne who loves to mug and ham it up to give her fans an extra comedic kick in the pants?whether they like it or not.

If Robin and AiAi are unusually in-your-face performers separately, what comedic heights?or depths?would they reach together? After viewing ?Ikaw Pa Rin,? we can share: The experience is really much too much.

In Wenn Deramas? flick, Robin plays a helpful fireman whose life is saved (via Heimlich maneuver) by veterinarian AiAi. Absolutely grateful, Robin swears that he will do anything she wants. Her special request makes him balk momentarily, however: She wants to have his baby.

Plot twist

This is supposed to be funny? In an ostensibly family-friendly movie? How would parents explain the funny-peculiar donor-dad plot twist to their children? This injudicious overreaching for ?humor? really is so strange ...

The movie?s governing performance style takes its cue from its leads? over-hyper characterizations. Most everyone in the movie isn?t happy just to play the character assigned to him or her?the performance ?has? to be punched up and shot out to the peanut gallery, like the actors were competing in the javelin finals of a Comedy Olympics.

What?s the point to this hyper underscoring? It suggests a lack of trust in the ability of the local movie audience to ?get? a comedy scene on its own, without its being ?pushed? to excessively silly and obvious proportions.

This ?cartoon? style of comedy acting reveals some comedians and filmmakers? insecurity about the innate appeal and entertainment value of their work. To make up for their limitations, they go the excessively obvious caricature route, and the effect is degradingly ridiculous.

Is the local movie audience so dense and clueless that it has to be hit on the head with ?comedy? to make it laugh? We don?t think so.

In the ?60s, local film comedy was less shrill and was more character- and situation-driven?and yet local moviegoers ?understood? and loved it.

Cynical view

Has the Filipino moviegoer become more stupid since then? We refuse to accept that cynical view. Perhaps, it?s our film people whose skills have deteriorated, or some of them have opted to take the easy (lazy?) way out.

If so, it?s time to change?big time. Movie ticket prices have increased so much that more viewers now want greater value and originality for their money. Film people who can?t measure up will just have to settle for also-ran status?and watch the movie parade pass them by.